All Along
by TheArchives
Summary: Serious, oneshot NaruHina. Naruto is feeling a bit down, but he talks with Hinata and begins to realize that sometimes the best things were in front of you all along.


Title: **All Along**  
By: Clever Audrey  
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei, and only he is allowed to make money off of it. :)  
Warnings: Fluff, one-shot  
AN: Okay, this was a request from Sly Omi, and since I've had people here ask for NaruHina, I decided it should be posted here too. :) Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto kicked the log one last time, tried to convince himself he was still upset enough to keep going, then gave up. 

_Guess I should have seen it coming, _he thought, shaking his head at himself. _I go away for two and half years and still expect Sakura-chan to be free…or interested, when she never was before. Still, Fuzzy Eyebrows will be good to her, so no worries there._ Folding his arms over tucked-up knees he let his chin rest on them and stared blankly out at the forest.

He would be happy for them tomorrow, he thought. Tonight, he still needed time to work through the rest of his love for his pink-haired teammate, and to gather all of his best memories of her together.

"N-Naruto-kun? Are you all right?"

Naruto started, shocked that anyone had been able to sneak up on him, even distracted as he was.

"Hinata!" He rose to his feet as the pale-eyed girl came into the clearing.

Well, maybe "girl" wasn't quite right anymore.

Hinata had grown up, much like everyone else had. She was a bit taller, though shorter than he was now. She had let her hair grow out a bit; most of it was not-quite shoulder length, but the two bunches that hung next to her face reached almost to her waist with their ends wrapped in pretty silver clasps. Her slender figure had filled out too, accentuated prettily by the kimono she wore, light blue with darker feather-patterns scattered across it in violet.

_Wow,_ Naruto thought, trying not blush at the realization that he had been staring. He remembered that she had asked him a question, and hurried to reply. "Y-yeah, Hinata, I'm fine." He started to give her his patented, cover-all grin, but found himself smiling normally at her, instead, open and still a little sad. "Just-"

Pale eyes gazed confidently back into his blue, even though her voice was still quiet and her manner shy. "You can tell me, Naruto-kun. I'd be happy to listen."

And so, much to his surprise, Naruto did. He told her about his upset at learning that Sakura was dating Rock Lee, and then found himself, at her quiet urging, talking on after that, about his time with Jiraiya, his training, and all the new places he'd seen.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," she commented when he had at last talked himself out. "I'd like to see some of those places too, someday."

"Yeah! Maybe sometime we could go out to that village up near Hidden Grass, they had the most amazing market, with all this exotic stuff-" He stopped and blinked at the small, pleased smile she didn't hide quite quickly enough. "Hinata?"

She paused, blushed, but then said firmly, "I'm glad you're feeling better, Naruto-kun. And I think I'll take you up on that offer one day." She rose from her spot on the grass, carefully brushing off the kimono, then beckoned shyly to him. "We should probably get back to the party. People will be missing you."

"Oh!" Naruto had almost forgotten about the party he'd left to work out his disappointment. "Yeah, I guess that's true." He rose and they walked back together, in an easy silence.

It was a rather amazing difference, Naruto thought, from the completely nervous, strange girl he had known a couple of years ago. Memories of her preliminary fight against Neji and her quiet encouragement right before his own final match in those Exams rose unexpectedly in his mind. Then again, perhaps not so amazing after all. She'd been getting better, even then.

"Hinata," he stopped them just outside the door. She turned back to him inquiringly.

"Thank you," he said, holding her eyes, his voice quiet and sincere. "That really helped a lot."

She flushed briefly, but then it faded and she scrutinized him silently with her Hyuuga eyes for a long moment, before bowing and replying in a tone that made him think she was referring to more than just tonight, "Thank _you_, Naruto-kun." Then, giving him a last, brief smile, she turned and went inside.

_What was that Ero-Sennin said once? About the obvious answer being right in front of you all along?_ Naruto thought wonderingly, his eyes fastened on the spot where Hinata had been standing.

_Yeah, in the morning I'll definitely be congratulating Sakura-chan and Fuzzy Eyebrows. And I think I'm due for dinner at Ichiraku. I wonder if Hinata likes ramen…._ His usual cheer and energy restored, Naruto went back into the party smiling hopefully.

* * *

AN: Well, there's some NaruHina. My first time writing this pairing, but I think it came out well. I do like Hinata... :) 


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